Upcoming America 250 Programming STARTING SOON: 1 p.m., ET -- The American Experiment: Virtue, Belonging, and the Common Good
This Ethics Roundtable will explore the virtues necessary for sustaining a just, inclusive, and flourishing society, as well as the challenges of cultivating those virtues in contemporary American life.
*Presented by APPE in partnership with Felician University
ZOOM LINK.
November 19 , 7 - 8 p.m.: Voices and Votes: Democracy in Action
MEMBERS ONLY (Free)
An interactive walk through of a traveling exhibit developed by the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street, coupled with an informative talk and Q&A by Coleen Watson, chair of the Law, Government, and Military Ethics Affinity Group and visiting assistant professor of philosophy in the Department of Law & Philosophy at the United States Military Academy (USMA). More details will be sent to members soon.
*Presented by APPE in partnership with The Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University, an APPE Organizational Sponsor |
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Conference Deadline Extended to October 26
We are looking forward to APPE 2027, which will be held March 4-7 at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown. We will also have a one-day online conference on Friday, April 2, 2027. The deadline for all conference proposal submissions has been extended to October 26. You can read the call for proposals here. This year’s theme, Examining Ethics and Power, invites critical reflection on the ethical dimensions of power across professional, institutional, and global contexts. We encourage proposals that explore how power dynamics shape ethical decision‑making; how power manifests in professional practices; how institutions perpetuate or prevent harm; and how ethical frameworks can clarify what is at stake as well as expose, challenge, and transform unjust power relations.
In addition to the special focus, we welcome submissions from all areas of practical and professional ethics. Submit via Ex Ordo.
Registration for the APPE 2027 Conference is also open and we are seeking sponsors, exhibitors, publishers, and advertisers. We can't wait to see you in Pittsburgh! |
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IEB Regionals Almost Full There are only a handful of spots left for teams that want to participate in this year's Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl regionals. All regionals are at capacity EXCEPT: - Northwest
- Rocky Mountain
- Southeast
- Wasatch
The Northeast is accepting teams if they provide additional judges.
Learn more and contact your regional host or APPE IEB Chair Michael Jordan at mjordan.ethicsbowl@gmail.com, with any questions.
Interested in volunteering as a judge or moderator? Our regions would love to have you. Reach out to the regional host closest to you. |
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Limited Spots Available for the Undergraduate Leadership Conference
There are just a few spots open for any students that want to join APPE at the Strategic Decision Making & Ethical Leadership: A Conference for Undergraduate Leaders, which will be held in Greencastle, Ind., October 23-25. This is the third year for the event, which is presented by APPE, The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University, the Notre Dame Deloitte Center for Ethical Leadership and the Poe Business Ethics Center at the Warrington College of Business, University of Florida. It is presented in partnership with APPE's Business Affinity Group and there is no cost to attend.
This year's conference will include a mock case that students work on together, and across institutions, throughout the weekend. Any student is encouraged to attend, individually or with a group; it is tailored toward student leaders who want to learn tools that they can put into practice on their campus. |
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| Announcing the Ethics in Action Design Challenge How can we inspire the next generation to put the Golden Rule into practice? APPE is seeking volunteers—including educators, parents, grandparents, and community leaders—to guide youth in creative problem-solving for this year’s pilot Ethics in Action Design Challenge. Whether through drawing, painting, digital art, software design, or interactive media, student projects (individual or team) will explore fairness, empathy, and social justice, illustrating the Golden Rule’s timeless principle: "Treat others as you wish to be treated." Conceived by ethics researcher and social justice advocate Raquel Diaz-Sprague (APPE Board Member, 2022–2026), this initiative builds on the successful Ethics in Action: Art or App Design Challenge co-directed with mathematics and computer science professor Alan Sprague at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (2019–2021). Selected student projects will be highlighted at the upcoming APPE Conference in Pittsburgh (March 4–7, 2027) as a proof-of-concept for a broader call for participation during the 2027–2028 academic year. Get Involved
If you are a college faculty member, school teacher, parent, grandparent, visual artist, community leader or an APPE member interested in guiding a young person or student team through a design project in any medium, we invite you to participate! If you would like to volunteer for this project we welcome you. Please email DesignChallenge@appe-ethics.org for information on how to get involved. Background Information: |
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Ethics Roundtables Return
If you missed today's Ethics Roundtable, don't worry--there are more coming up! Each year, APPE, in partnership with Felician University, presents a series of Ethics Roundtables which are free and open to the public. These one-hour virtual events are opportunities to engage one another on current, ethical issues in order to generate meaningful dialogue. RSVPs are not required. Join us for our upcoming 2026-2027 events: - The Ethics of Just War: Ancient Traditions and Modern Challenges
- November 4, 2026, from 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET via Zoom
- The Ethics of Resistance: Power, Responsibility, and Moral Courage
March 5, 2027, at the APPE Annual Conference + a virtual session on April 2. 2027, Time TBD - The Limits of Forgiveness: Justice, Responsibility, and Reconciliation
April 14, 2027, from 1:00–2:00 p.m. ET via Zoom
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Newsy & Noteworthy Jobs & Events
Have you seen our job and event emails? Limited free access to post jobs and events of interest in the weekly email (as well as in the Info Hub) is a benefit of membership. If you're a member and would like to submit something for consideration, just login to the Member portal, go to Job & Event Postings and click "add." Non-members can access the jobs and events by creating a login but must pay a fee to list positions and events. Reach out to contact@appe-ethics.org for more info.
We Want to Hear From You! To be featured as a member spotlight or if you have news to share, including books published, send us an email at membernews@appe-ethics.org. |
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Ethics Bowl Case to Consider CTRL-ALT-DEFENSE (From the 2026 IEB Regional Case Set) The worry over AI and large-language models is now part of everyday conversations. One case in this year's regional competition set specifically looks at AI usage in the U.S. military.
As is written in the case, "War is already full of human error, bias, panic, fatigue, and incomplete information. If AI can process information faster, identify threats more accurately, and reduce battlefield mistakes, refusing to use it could itself be irresponsible."
But also, "A researcher pitted GPT5.2, Claude Sonnet 4, and Gemini 3 against each other in a wargame, and 95% of the time, the outcome ended in a tactical nuclear strike. The models often treated tactical nuclear use as a manageable risk rather than as a line that should almost never be crossed. There are concerns that even if AI doesn’t have the ability to 'pull the trigger' so to speak, the habitual use of AI could change human decisions, or, if a suggestion is made at the right moment, a human could be susceptible to such a decision."
Read the case (#1) here, then discuss with your friends, family and colleagues. |
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